1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vertical bale elevator to transfer bales of hay, straw or the like between the ground and an upper level or a barn or other storage area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previous vertical bale elevators have continuous conveyor chains located at a front and back of a frame. The chains have prongs extending normal thereto periodically along their length. The prongs penetrate a bale to carry it upward as the chains rotate. Previous elevators jam easily, or, cannot transfer bales of various sizes, or, consume a great deal of power, or cannot easily be divided into sections as the chains must be either lengthened or shortened, or, are complex in that adjustments must be made in the chain tautness before the elevator will function properly, or, the elevator requires more than one power source, or, the elevator will not transfer bales that are bowed, or, the elevator will not transfer bales that are not tightly packed, or, the drive mechanism is complex and a skilled technician is required to make repairs, or, the the chain tends to break when the elevator becomes jammed, or, the elevator cannot be used in reverse to transfer bales downward, or, bales can only be discharged at an upper end, or, the vertical section of the elevator must be located high off the ground so that the angle with the feed section is about 135.degree. so bales can usually be transferred between sections without jamming.